Academy
Toward 100 % voluntary blood donation: A transformative workshop in Dodoma, Tanzania
The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) of Tanzania, with support from the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), convened a national workshop in Dodoma to accelerate progress towards a safe and sustainable blood supply. The event brought together 39 participants, including NBTS headquarters staff and regional blood safety coordinators, reflecting a nationwide commitment to enhancing voluntary non-remunerated blood donation (VNRBD).
Rationale and Context Tanzania has made commendable progress in expanding access to safe blood. However, the country continues to face challenges in ensuring sufficiency and sustainability. Currently, 52% of blood donations are voluntary, while 48% originate from family or replacement donors. Although family donors play an important role, reliance on them presents risks: supply unpredictability, heightened vulnerability to transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs), and threats to long-term sustainability. This reality underscores the urgent need to scale up VNRBD, which remains the cornerstone of safe and reliable blood systems worldwide.
Workshop Objectives
The Dodoma workshop was designed to provide a structured platform for reflection, knowledge sharing, and action planning. Its objectives were to:
i. Enhance understanding of the principles and benefits of VNRBD. ii. Elaborate strategic approaches to community mobilization and donor retention. iii. Identify effective behaviour change communication and advocacy techniques. iv. Develop actionable regional plans to increase voluntary donations. v. Strengthen collaboration between donor recruitment, blood processing, and clinical teams to ensure continuity of safe transfusion services.
Images from the workshop
Workshop Highlights
The workshop was designed to combine inspiration, learning, and practical planning.
Opening session: Participants reviewed Tanzania’s current blood donation landscape and explored global best practices, grounding their work in the WHO/ISBT vision for VNRBD.
- Breakout groups: Small teams tackled real challenges, including donor drop offs, myths, logistical barriers, and ways to improve recognition and follow up.
- Skills sessions: Participants practiced crafting messages, engaging local influencers, using media tools effectively, and designing donor retention strategies.
- Regional planning: Each participant drafted time-bound plans aimed at increasing voluntary donations, tracking progress, and improving teamwork across the blood donation process.
Regional Commitments A key outcome of the workshop was the development of regional action plans, ensuring that lessons learned are translated into concrete, context-specific strategies. These plans prioritize stronger linkages between recruitment and clinical services, aiming to align donor mobilization with actual transfusion needs. From the discussions, the following regional initiatives were agreed upon: Revitalizing volunteer networks: Leveraging youth groups, alumni, and community champions.
Regular outreach blood drives: Monthly blood drives in remote wards, with rotating teams and local publicity.
Retention strategies: SMS reminders, thank you events, and peer referrals to encourage repeat donations.
Media campaigns: Radio spots, social media stories, and myth-busting educational content.
Improved coordination: Monthly forums for recruitment, laboratory, and hospital teams, with shared dashboards to track progress. Simple metrics were also agreed upon, including new voluntary donor counts, retention rates, community awareness levels, and consistent blood supply in hospitals.
Conclusion
The workshop underscored that strengthening VNRBD is not only a technical imperative but also a public health priority for Tanzania. By enhancing collaboration, sharpening community engagement approaches, and reinforcing the donor-centred attitude of blood services, Tanzania is positioning itself to reduce reliance on family and replacement donations.
ISBT’s technical support was instrumental in fostering dialogue and capacity building during this workshop, demonstrating the importance of global collaboration in advancing blood safety. Moving forward, sustained investment in VNRBD will be crucial to ensuring equitable access to safe blood for all
Tanzanians, ultimately reducing the residual risk of TTIs and securing the continuity of lifesaving transfusion services.
